COP22: Developing more sustainable agriculture to meet the climate challenge

At COP22 in Marrakech Laurent Auguste, Senior Executive Vice President Innovation and Markets and member of Veolia’s Executive Committee, was today involved in a round table discussion organized by the Livelihoods Fund. It was an opportunity to explain Veolia’s actions to encourage more sustainable agriculture by stimulating collaboration between local stakeholders.

In Aguascalientes in Mexico, for example, the Group is participating in a collective project aimed at limiting the risk of water scarcity linked to the growing needs of the city, industry and local agriculture. Veolia, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Danone and the Livelihoods Fund are exploring the possibility of setting up an innovative watershed protection mechanism.

Veolia also encourages the development of sustainable agriculture by creating local circular economy loops: for example in France, Artois Méthanisation turns organic waste into biogas and compost.

Finally, Veolia contributes to the dissemination of solutions for sustainable agriculture. For example, in collaboration with INRA (the QualiAgro program), the Group promotes the use of compost by farmers. The project in the Ile-de-France region analyses the transformation of carbon and nutrients in soils and the agronomic value of composts. Their use makes it possible to significantly reduce the consumption of mineral fertilizers, increase carbon sequestration in soils and reduce agricultural CO2 emissions. According to INRA , by 2030 these practices will result in avoiding the emission of 30 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2eq per year in France and 1,600 to 4,200 Mt CO2eq per year worldwide.